Gisele Bündchen is admitting that certain aspects of parenting her children, Benjamin and Vivian, have been difficult following her divorce from Tom Brady.
Bündchen recalled what she tells her kids about their chores: “‘The way you make your room, the way you organize and make your bed is the way you’re going to do your life. If you’re not learning here and now, then when and with who?’” Bündchen, 43, told Harper’s Bazaar in an interview published on Wednesday, January 17. “Sometimes, I get pushback.”
Bündchen speculated that Benjamin and Vivian’s “pushback” comes from them living “in two different homes” with “two different” sets of rules. She added, “But I feel like I owe it to my kids, because of what my mom taught me.”
Bündchen was married to Brady, 46, for 13 years before they split in 2022. Us Weekly confirmed that they finalized their divorce that October and were remaining committed to coparenting.
“Tom and Gisele have navigated their coparenting relationship really well,” a source exclusively told Us in December 2023. “They have made a focused effort on putting their kids’ needs first despite things having not worked out for their marriage. Their children spend equal amounts of time with both parents which works out great all around.”
The insider added at the time that Bündchen and Brady have been able to discuss their kids’ needs “in a really mature way.”
Brady is also a father of son Jack, 17, whom he shares with ex Bridget Moynahan. He found out about the 52-year-old actress’ pregnancy after he moved on with Bündchen after their split.
“I have a great relationship with [Bridget],” Bündchen told Vanity Fair in March 2023. “Everything in life comes with work. You have to go through the roller coaster. You have moments where you get to the sticky points and you’ve gotta overcome it.”
She continued: “My goal was always, ‘How can I be the most helpful? How can I make it the easiest I possibly can?’ I put myself in [Bridget’s] shoes and I was like, ‘How can I support her?’ Because in the end of the day, we are team players in, ‘How are we going to do this so [Jack] can have the best life?’”
Bündchen and Brady’s breakup came on the heels of his NFL retirement. Brady initially planned to hang up his cleats in February 2022 before changing his mind six weeks later. After another season playing football, he retired for good in February 2023. The back and forth had caused friction in his marriage.
“Obviously, I have my concerns — this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present. I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again,” she previously told Elle in October 2022. “But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too. I’ve done my part, which is [to] be there for [Tom]. I moved to Boston [when he played for the Patriots], and I focused on creating a cocoon and a loving environment for my children to grow up in and to be there supporting him and his dreams.”
